I'm Back
by SaraMcLane
Summary: It's been 8 years since Percy died, and Annabeth and Jason fled to New Rome. If you've read "-It was an Accident!" you know Piper and Percy weren't exactly happy when Annabeth got pregnant with Jason's baby. So let me tell you, 8 years down the line... They still aren't happy. So in this SEQUEL to "-It was an Accident!", Piper and Percy return, and they aren't exactly happy...
1. Chapter 1

**Hiii!**  
 **God, it's been forever since I've written anything here on FanFic. I've been so busy with friend drama (Insert sad face here) and boy drama. And did I mention that my laptop crapped out on me? It deleted every file, every story, every... _everything._ So, that's sort of a bummer. But I was scrolling through FanFiction to see if my stories were still up and yes they were! :D So, that cheered me up. And anyway, I was reading some of the comments on some of my old stories, and I saw a comment on "-It was an Accident!" about a sequel. Can you guess what I did after I read that?**

 **I hit that New Story button as fast as I could.**

 **So, here we go... I know you guys have been waiting, what, like 2 years for this? I'm really sorry I've been gone for so long, so here's my gift to you: A sequel to "-It was an Accident!". (If you have not read "-It was an Accident!" yet, I _highly_ encourage you do, because some things in this story will be confusing. But it's your choice!  
Love you guys! Enjoy! :)**

It was a bright summer day in our tiny town in New Rome- lilac, daisies, and tulips crawled over the lawn of our two-story home, and the smell of fresh pond-water and oak trees was strong in our back yard. I looked out at my twelve-year old daughter, Holly, and my eight-year old son, Will, from my up-stairs bedroom window. They were chasing each other around the pond in the back-yard, laughing and shouting, sort of like how Percy and I would play around at Camp Half-Blood when we were younger.

 _Percy_.

My throat tightened when I thought about my ex-boyfriend, Percy Jackson. He used to be the love of my life, eight years ago, and I wanted to get married to him and have a family with him and grow old with him... But I accidentally killed him. My heart starts to ache and tears build up in my eyes, and then I feel a pair of strong arms hug me from behind.

"The kids seem to having fun," Jason says. "Right, Annabeth?"

Jason is my husband, and I love him so much. When Percy died he'd helped me a lot, and somehow we ended up falling in love with each other. But let me tell you, love is a very dangerous thing, especially when your ex-boyfriend and your ex-best friend are both out to kill you.

I nod slowly.

Jason rests his head on my shoulder. "What's wrong, Annie? You haven't spoken to me all morning," he asks calmly. I wait a second, considering if I should answer. Then I wiggle from his grasp and rest my hands on the windowsill. When I do this, Jason whispers, "You're thinking. About them."

"Yes," I reply. "You know why?" I turn around to see Jason's face. He shrugs.

"It's Percy's birthday," I say. Jason lifts his eyebrows. I watch him walk over to the other side of the room and squint at a calendar hanging on the wall. "August eighteenth, Jason." He nods and glances at me.

"I'm sorry, Annie," he says. He walks over to me and holds me close to his chest. "Hey, let's do something special tonight. Just you and me," he offers after a while.

I smile. "I'd like that."

"Okay, I'll call the baby-sitter over at seven, and we'll be back at ten-thirty," Jason explains. "Now go cheer yourself up with some shopping."

 _ **1 hour later...**_

I've been shopping at New Rome Mall for the past hour, and I already have seven bags. Mainly sneakers and baseball caps. I'm just about ready to head back to my home when something catches my eye: A store called _Piper's Perfumes._

I feel my heart stop in my chest.

 _Piper's not here, Annabeth. There are hundreds of Pipers in the world, there's no way in Hades that Piper_ McLean _is in that shop._

A bag slips from hand and falls to the floor. I hear a lip-biting _crack!_ and I know that my $100 bottle of perfume is shattered. "Dammit," I mutter and pick up the bag. When I stand back up, I glance at _Piper's Perfumes_. I think about going in there and buying another bottle of perfume to replace the one I just broke.

My first thoughts are: _Are you insane?! If Piper's in there she'll kill you!_

But then I think: _Pull your shit together, Annabeth. Piper is_ not _in there, so stop being a bitch, go in there, and buy some freakin' perfume!_

So that's what I do. I grip my bags tighter, put a grim smile on my face and walk right into that store. After about five minutes in the store, the voice in the back of my head screaming _"GO BACK, GO BACK!"_ dies down, and the knot in my stomach goes away. I walk through rows and rows of bottles of perfume, some shaped like hearts and some shaped like diamonds. I'm actually enjoying myself a little, until I see one bottle that takes my breath away. It is labelled in fancy cursive writing: She Killed Him. I can't help but want to try it, so I place my bags on the floor and spray some of the perfume on my wrist. It smells salty, like the ocean, and sort of lemony... like my favorite brand of perfume. A realization hits me, causing my hands to shake and the bottle nearly falls to the floor: It smells like Percy and I. I nearly throw the bottle back on the shelf. I want to leave, and run out of this damned store, but a voice stops me.

"That's our best-seller."

Beside me is a young women, my age, with straight hazelnut-colored hair braided over her two shoulders. Her eyes are glittery, her skin is perfectly even and toffee-colored. She's wearing a purple blouse and white shorts, a name-tag pinned above her left breast. It reads: Piper.

I stumble back into the shelves, the bottles trembling. I grab my bags, not daring to look into Piper's eyes.

"Oh my Gods, are you alright?" she asks me before I'm about to run away. I bite down on my tongue so hard I taste blood. "You seem scared."

"I-I'm f-fine," I stutter. I'm going into shock, because I can't get my eyes off Piper's. They're so pretty, just as they were eight years ago, when we were friends.

"Are you sure?" Piper asks me, obviously not believing me. I nod quickly. "Well, if you say so."

I start walking away, still shaking, but then Piper adds, "Wait. Do I know you from somewhere?"

That's when I take off running. My sneakers pound on the floor, my heart beats out of my chest, my hands are shaking, and for a minute, you could've mistaken me for running from a monster. A flashback runs through my mind, and I can suddenly remember running away from Percy, screaming for help at camp.

He's bleeding behind me. Dying. Because of me. I remember crying so hard that day, and everyone was looking at me, including Piper and Jason. I remember Mr. D stopped me, and Chiron took Percy to the infirmary.

I snap back to reality when a salty tear slips into my mouth. I'm crying. People are watching me. Humiliation washes over me and I wipe the tears off my face painfully quick. I run out of the mall, then out into the parking lot.

I find my car and throw all of my stuff in the backseat. Then, I speed home, more tears streaming down my face.


	2. Chapter 2

As I pull into my driveway, I take a deep breath and look at the cotton-candy blue sky above me through my sunroof. I've stopped crying, but I'm still shaking and my face is red and I don't want Holly or Will or Jason to see me like this. So I just sit, and breathe.  
After ten minutes, I decide to get out of my car. I open the door to my home, and when I get inside, I slam it shut. My kids are in the living room playing with our puppy, Poseidon, but they stop to look at me. I clear my throat and demand, "Go to your rooms."

Holly stands up. "Mom, what's wrong?" she asks. She helps Will up by his hands, then she picks up Poseidon.

"Just... just go upstairs. I need to talk to your father," I say, trying to keep my voice steady. Holly rolls her eyes and leads Will upstairs. I wait for the _click_ of their doors shutting before I walk to the kitchen, where I can hear pots and pans and bowls clattering. When I get there, I can see Jason is rummaging through the cabinets. "Jason, I need to tell you something."

He looks up and smiles. His smile gives me warmth, and makes me feel a little better. "Yeah?"

"It's not good," I say. "Sit down." I pull a chair out from the dining table. Jason eyes me, then he slowly gets up and sits down in the chair. I sit down on the other side of the table.

I'm just about to begin when Jason blurts out, "Annabeth, have you been crying?" I suck in air between my teeth.

"U-um... yeah."

"Why? What happened?"

I take a deep breath and look out a window. "Piper's in New Rome."

I look back at Jason. His eyes are wide, his mouth is dropped open. "...What?"

"I was shopping, and I saw a store. I went in, and Piper was right there," I explain. "I nearly passed out, and she asked me if I was alright. Then she asked me if she'd known me from somewhere."

Jason stands up. "Annabeth, how do you know it was Piper? There are hundreds of demi-gods that look like her-"

"No, it was her. She had a name tag on. It said Piper on it."

"Well, I don't believe it. And if it _is_ her, she's probably moved on. It's been, what, ten years?" Jason asks.

"Eight. It's been eight. And Jason, it was her, I tell you. I saw her eyes. They were changing colors," I insist. "She's here. She saw me. She talked to me and she _touched_ me."

"Annabeth, calm down. We're perfectly safe. We live in a gated community. And the gates are made of celestial bronze; There's no way she's getting here," Jason says. He takes my hand and helps me up. Then he gives me a hug. For a moment, I feel safe in his arms, like nothing will ever come between us.

But little did I know, that was the last time I would feel safe for a long time.

After a few hours, we call the babysitter, a daughter of Apollo. Holly and Will have never been fans of her. As soon as she walks in, Will runs up in his room and Holly starts her monthly speech of how she's "too old and cool to have a stupid babysitter". I roll my eyes. "Holly, I am _not_ in the mood. Now go and do something to keep you busy," I instruct her. She mutters something under breath and storms into the kitchen.

I turn to Jason. He sighs, and opens the front door. We walk outside.

The cold air brushes my face. I look up and the moon is hidden behind thick grey clouds which are moving steadily across the black sky. Jason and I get into the car and Jason pulls out into the street. As he drives, I look out the window. I don't want to speak, my thoughts are racing. _Is Piper planning something? Is anything going to happen tonight?_ _Why is she back in the first place?!_ But the one question that was really bugging me was: _Is Percy back, too?_

"We're here."

We pile out of the car and I see that we're at a bar. "Oh, good. I really need a drink," I say. Jason takes my hand and we walk into the cool building. I don't take less than a minute before I'm ordering a Screwdriver and Jason's left at the door, holding my coat, scanning the room for where I am. By the time he finds me I'm already sipping my drink.

The bartender's looking a little weirdly at me, then he says, "I _love_ your eyes. They-"

"Watch it, buddy. She's mine," Jason says. My cheeks turn rosy. I like how protective he is of me, like Percy used to be.

Percy? Why are my thoughts turning to Percy?!

This question runs in my mind for a long time, as I order my second drink, as Jason leaves to go to the bathroom, and when some guy tries to hit on me just as Jason comes back and nearly gets decked across the floor. And after Jason and I have been there for two hours, I find my mind wandering over memories of Percy and I. Then I hear,

"Annabeth?!"

I blink my eyes open and turn to Jason. "What? What?" I ask, looking around to see if anything's wrong.

"I was just asking you how many drinks you've had," Jason tells me. "for the third time."

"Um," I roll my tongue across my teeth and say, "three." Jason rolls his eyes and laughs.

"Right. You've had three and I've had none," he says. "I think it's time we head home." I nod and push my three empty glasses towards the bartender. We're walking to the door, ready to leave, and then I stop.

I squint a little, and through a crowd of teenagers who are probably using fake IDs, I see a familiar face. And when I squint harder, I can see the glimmering purple in her eyes, and then the shimmering gold, and the smooth turquoise.

"Jason, Jason," I whisper, tugging on his sleeve like a little kid.

"What?" he asks. "Why are you whispering?"

"She's here," I say, still looking at Piper. "She's here, she's here."

Jason practically _whips_ his arm away and snaps, "Piper _'s not_ here!"

I open and close my mouth like a gaping fish, and I sputter, "W-What?"

"Annabeth," Jason holds me tightly by the shoulders. "Piper is _not_ in this bar. She's _not_ in New Rome. And for all we know, she might not even be al-"

"Excuse me?"

Jason and I look up and there she is. Standing in a knee-high gold and silver dress, her hair sweeping half-way down her back.

"I just noticed you two were arguing a little bit," she says, her thin lips perking up in a smile. "Just wanted to be neighborly and make sure everything's fine."

I feel my heart beating so fast I feel like it might explode everywhere, and hopefully all over Piper's perfect face. I then can see in Jason's eyes that he finally believes me, and that he's just as scared as I am.

"Piper, we don't want anything to do with you-" he tries to say.

"How do you know my name?" She asks.

Jason blinks. "What?"

"I've never met you before. Or your wife here, who looks completely shocked, just as she was this morning at the mall," she giggles a little under her breath. "It was you, wasn't it?"

I can't speak. I just stare.

"Oh, it was, I remember your hair," she touches some of my curls. I can feel Jason's stare burning through us. "You know, I really apologize for this morning, miss."

I shake my head wildly, "No, no. It's alright, no need to say sorry."

"Oh, nonsense," Piper laughs. "How about tomorrow at ten, I'll personally buy you anything from my shop in the mall." She looks from Jason to me. "I didn't catch your names?"

"Anna-"

 _What. The. Hades. You're just going to_ give _your name away to a girl who once tried to kill you?! What is wrong with you?!  
_

"Anna?" Piper asks. "Okay, Anna, ten a.m., tomorrow at my shop in the mall? Sound good?"

"Y-Yeah."

 _What the Hades is wrong with you, Annabeth? You just go shopping with any psycho you meet?!_

"Okay. Well, I'm going to go back to my friends. See you tomorrow, Anna." And then she walks away.

Then, Jason grips my hand tightly and drags me out of the building.


End file.
